Rating Practice Teams 13

Hello! Welcome to the Rating Practice Teams 13! The goal of the Rating Practice Teams is for us to help team raters individually by putting their rating skills to the test. Once the teams have been posted, you will have one month to submit your rate of a practice team (you can rate more than one of them) to Delko and I through PM. We will carefully review each and every rate that was sent, spotting mistakes and giving you advice on how to improve your rates, which includes the rate formatting! At the end of the month, a general analysis will be posted, which will include an example rate followed by recurring problems that came up among the rates that were sent.

With the help of several people, practice teams from every 5th gen standard tier have been prepared for you. These teams may contain weaknesses (some might be obvious, and some might not be so obvious), and the descriptions might not all be exactly true. Treat it like a regular, daily RMT you would see in the Rate My Team forum.

ALL PRACTICE RATES SHOULD BE PM'D TO Sayonara, Harsha and Delko BY NO LATER THAN SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14TH. RATES RECEIVED AFTER THIS DATE WILL NOT BE ANALYZED. PLEASE INDICATE THE RATED TIER SOMEWHERE IN THE PM. YOU MAY RATE MORE THAN ONE TEAM.

Before you start rating, reading the How To Rate thread would be really useful; it will help you with rating in general, and it contains what we look for when we see a rate.

This is a typical B/W2 Hyper Offensive team. The team works by quickly stacking and preventing hazards before you start to tear open your opponents defense with the many offensive threats including Keldeo and Terrakion. Genesect cleans up what is left and Dragonite can set up on weakened foes that other team mates have dealt with. Gengar rounds it all off as the team's Spinblocker, making sure hazards stay for the whole match. The team works by playing very aggressively, the combo of Terrakion and Keldeo 2HKOs pretty much everything.

Your standard Deoxys-D lead, a great choice for any Hyper Offensive Team. It provides your team with the much needed Stealth Rock to put things into OHKO range for the rest of your team. Taunt helps Deoxys to shut down slower hazard setters such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory and Forretress, while Magic Coat deflects hazards from faster users of Stealth Rock. Spikes completes the set by allowing you to stack additional hazards and pressure opposing Spinners.

Genesect forms as the teams revenge killer, as well as a very effective scouter. With the hazards Deoxys provides, Genesect can easily rack up a lot of hazard damage as it forces so many switches, and combined with U-Turn you can easily gain free switches into other sweepers of your team to hit hard, or start setting up. Unresisted coverage coupled with Download also makes Genesect a pretty effective late game sweeper when the checks are gone, with it's decent bulk and great Speed when equipped with a Scarf.

Dragonite is the setup sweeper of the team, benefitting greatly from Deoxys doing a good job of preventing hazards, allowing Dragonite to easily set up one or two Dragon Dances thanks to Multiscale being intact. Lum Berry helps Dragonite to avoid being status'd when attempting to set up, which helps greatly against Pokemon who can live an unboosted hit from Dragonite, such as Chansey and Ferrothorn. After a couple boosts, it is very hard to stop Dragonite, while only needing a free turn to simply decimate a whole team.

Wallbreaker number one, and another abuser of the hazard support Deoxys brings. When Terrakion is equipped with a Choice Band, it has the power to tear through defensive cores making it very hard for your opponent to switch in safely. With Terrakion's amazing coverage, it can 2HKO all of its "counters", including Slowbro, Skarmory and Gliscor. It's fair to say that Choice Band Terrakion should not be taken lightly, as if you use it correctly you can guarantee one or two kills every game.

The Special equivalent of Terrakion, being able to break through the physical walls Terrakion can't. Choice Specs Keldeo is the team's second wallbreaker, and does a very good job at it. With Hydro Pump / Secret Sword, Keldeo tears through common stall cores such as Skarmory and Blissey. Just like Terrakion, Keldeo can 2HKO it's most common switch ins with hazards such as Jellicent, Latias and Celebi. Because Keldeo can hit on both sides of the physical special spectrum, it makes it that much harder to play around, as you designated Special wall will not appreciate a Specs Secret Sword.

Finally, the team's Spinblocker, making sure that all of Deoxys's hard work is not ruined. Gengar maintains the teams hazards, while also being able to cripple common switch-ins to it with Will-O-Wisp, including Tyranitar and Jirachi. Gengar also sports unresisted coverage in Shadow Ball and Focus Blast, being able to hit hard behind a Substitute. The status support cripples physical attackers, making it much easier for Dragonite to set up on them, or for the more frail members of the team to switch in safely taking minimal damage.

Bronzong is my first hazard user, and check to most of the annoying threats in UU. It counters Flygon & Krookodile and if it's healthy it's a good check to Raikou and Kingdra. Toxic is there to cripple walls like Slowbro and Porygon. Earthquake slams Raikou and Chandelure switch ins. EVs are ripped from the onsite analysis.

Froslass is my 2nd hazard user, and my lead 99% of the time. Set up spikes, taunt walls & destiny bond attackers. Ice Beam is a filler move, though it's useful for checking things like Zapdos & CB Flygon. I don't really think anything else needs to be said, though its effectiveness increases the later I bring it out. EVs give Froslass enough speed to outrun the base 100s + Mienshao.

My Swords Dance user and heavy hitter. Cobalion is extremely annoying to face when the right conditions are met. When hazards are up, it's ridiculously difficult to counter Cobalion; in fact all of its checks & counters are grounded. Close Combat rips apart anything that doesn't resist it, Iron Head hits most of the Fighting resists/immunes for at least neutral damage and Stone Edge is there bulky Flying types like Zapdos.

Choice Specs Raikou is freaking sweet. It hits ridiculously hard without setup and is a nightmare to face when hazards are up. Thunderbolt is ripping apart anything that doesn't resist it (in fact it 2HKOes 252/0 Snorlax after Stealth Rock). Volt Switch lets me deal damage & get momentum, and is useful against teams that rely on Raikou checks that can't heal (Snorlax again). HP ice lets me smack around Ground-types like Rhyperior, Swampert and Gligar and Extrasensory is for Roserade and Fighting-typeslike Hitmontop. It suffers against well structured teams that use Electric immunes + Grass resists.

Choice Specs Chandelure is frightening. Overheat is ridiculously strong, and the only thing in the tier that can reliably take them is Snorlax and Bulky Waters. Shadow Ball hits every Overheat resist barring Snorlax for at least neutral damage (and a 2HKO after SR). HP Fight smacks Snorlax & P2 around, while Trick cripples them which is more useful in the long run.

My trump card. Once hazards are up, and everything's been weakened Sharpedo wins the game. It's flawless coverage hits everything in UU for at least neutral damage, and its hitting all of the big physical walls in the tier (Gligar / Slowbro) for super effective damage. Protect is useful when Sharpedo is matched up with a faster threat. Earthquake smacks around bulky steel-types and qwilfish. It's pointless the bring Sharpedo out early/midgame, because I want to keep it in perfect condition.

This is a semistall team focused on a Moltres sweep. Each member of the team is necessary for countering certain threats, and they all aid Moltres in some way. A paralysis core is built between Ferroseed and Lanturn, and they are both very sturdy to last throughout the match. Ferroseed also lays Spikes for Moltres to take advantage of. Cryogonal is necessary for keeping my side of the field free of Stealth Rock, and is one of the most reliable spinners in the metagame. Cofagrigus is helpful for the Fighting-types that the core doesn't cover too well, and keeps all hazards on the field. Finally, Nidoqueen sets up Stealth Rock to aid Moltres's sweep, while having admirable synergy with it and can clean up with the help of paralysis support as well.

Moltres is my main sweeper, and it's one of the best Pokemon in the metagame right now. I use a standard Life Orb set to get maximum damage output. Fire Blast and Hurricane are powerful STAB moves that can wreck the opposition, and Hidden Power Grass allows me to hit Pokemon such as Kabutops, Omastar, and Rhydon that could otherwise kill Moltres. Roost is good for when I'm not playing well and I forget that Stealth Rock is up, or if Moltres is forced out by a phazing move. It also helps against Sucker Punch users such as Spiritomb and Absol. Max Speed allows Moltres to outspeed Lilligant (both HP Rock and HP Fire have to use an imperfect Speed IV) and max Special Attack is obviously to hit as hard as possible.

Ferroseed is an excellent defensive pivot that I've always loved using, and it fits well on this team. Its helpful qualities include laying Spikes, spreading paralysis, countering Water- and Rock-types, and passing healing to other members of the team. I feel that this is the only set that Ferroseed should ever be running, since all of the moves are indispensable. Spikes (or Stealth Rock) is the main reason to use Ferroseed in the first place, while Leech Seed allows it to augment its otherwise complete lack of recovery. Thunder Wave and Gyro Ball are both necessary to avoid becoming setup fodder, and can both be useful to hit things on the switch. A physically defensive spread is needed for Pokemon such as Feraligatr, Kabutops, and Aggron.

Lanturn forms a good paralysis core with Ferroseed, and I've chosen Discharge to take advantage of this. A RestTalk set is necessary in my opinion, since it allows me to check threats such as Magmortar and Moltres consistently throughout the match. I'm using both Scald and Discharge because I need Discharge for Moltres, Slowking, and others, while Scald ensures that Nidoqueen can't switch in for free, among other things. The EV spread is slightly more specially defensive than the standard spread, and it allows Lanturn to be only 3HKOed by Magmortar's Hidden Power Grass after Stealth Rock.

Cryogonal is one of my favorite spinners to use in the current metagame, since it can beat every common spinblocker with relative ease. Recover grants it a lot more longevity than its competition, such as Kabutops, and Ice Beam can be pretty powerful without investment. Haze is necessary to counter Nasty Plot Cofagrigus, and can also help against other slow setup sweepers such as Absol and Gallade in a pinch. The EV spread is quite common in higher level play, allowing Cryogonal to avoid being OHKOed by Pursuit from the likes of Spiritomb, Drapion, or Escavalier, while also outspeeding Modest Nidoqueen. The remaining EVs are placed in Special Defense, so Cryogonal can still counter threats such as Rotom-C, Manectric, and Rotom.

Cofagrigus is my spinblocker of choice for this team, and its defensive set completes my defensive core. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers such as Kabutops, which tried to spin on Cofagrigus, and Shadow Ball allows me to wear things down. Pain Split is very much appreciated from BW2, and it's miles above Rest. Hidden Power Fighting typically isn't seen on defensive Cofagrigus, but it is useful to handle two threats that my team otherwise would have trouble with: Zangoose and Crawdaunt. The EV spread not only avoids the OHKO from +1 Crawdaunt, but also allows Cofagrigus to switch into Escavalier's Iron Head without worry, since I can burn it while it doesn't 2HKO me after Stealth Rock.

Nidoqueen completes the team with Stealth Rock, a vital part of its moveset. Otherwise, it's a great offensive partner for Moltres, since they synergize well, and can clean up after one another. Earth Power, Thunderbolt, and Fire Blast offer exceptional coverage on the majority of the metagame, 2HKOing almost everything with the appropriate move. The EV spread allows Nidoqueen to become a better Stealth Rock user, with the HP EVs allowing it to always live a Leaf Storm from Life Orb Sceptile and a Fire Blast from Life Orb Moltres. 168 Speed EVs are needed to outspeed max Speed Crawdaunt, and I've taken a few more EVs out of Special Attack for Speed creeping purposes, as there are many other Pokemon that aim for that benchmark.

Hi! I built an NU offense team around the idea of a Fraxure sweep, and I wanted to have enough offensive synergy so that even if Fraxure went down, something else could pick up the slack and finish the job. I made sure that I included a ton of priority so I wouldn't have to worry about really fast threats like Swellow, and I used a few unique threats that don't see a lot of usage in today's metagame to catch my opponents off-guard.

Sawsbuck is an awesome Pokemon that really doesn't see the usage that it should. It outruns almost all of the metagame at base 95 Speed, and can really mash stuff even without a Swords Dance boost. Sap Sipper is also very useful, and it lets me come in on obvious Grass-type attacks directed at Piloswine and get a free +1. I use Double-Edge instead of Return for the sheer power, which comes in handy sometimes. The rest of the moves are very obvious coverage moves and Swords Dance.

Absol has great offensive synergy with Sawsbuck. They can work off of each other's counters really well (Sawsbuck can switch into Tangela and get +1 easy, while Absol can kill Drifblim that really annoys Sawsbuck) and once one of them has blasted through the defensive core the other one can pick right up after it. Sucker Punch is the strongest priority on the team, and lets me revenge anything from Ludicolo to Charizard.

Fraxure is my secret weapon. I can use Substitute on Alomomola who walls the rest of my team while it tries to Toxic me, and then boost up while it tries to break my Sub or switches out. It can set up on almost any wall since Eviolite gives it decent bulk, and BW2 gave it Low Kick which is really awesome for breaking through Probopass and stopping it from preventing Zangoose Facade spam later.

Most people use Bulk Up Gurdurr, but I decided that a lure for Misdreavus and Tangela would be really useful for my offensive core to break through them, and for Zangoose to finish them off lategame. Gurdurr lures in every defensive Pokemon in the book, from Alomomola to Misdreavus to Tangela to even Amoonguss, on occasion, and knocks off their Eviolites and Leftovers and occasionally even Rocky Helmets, cutting their defensive capabilities so the rest of my team can sweep later. Even without Bulk Up, Gurdurr otherwise functions like a normal Gurdurr, Drain Punching any Normal-types and revenging stuff with Mach Punch if needed.

I noticed that I needed Stealth Rock, so I decided to use a little bit of a different SR user so I could still keep up priority and have another bulky pivot if I needed it. Piloswine is awesomely bulky and can even stand up to a CB Emboar Flare Blitz if it's near full HP and then KO in return with Earthquake. It's also a good secondary check to Swellow and Braviary, since it can easily live a Brave Bird and retaliate with Icicle Spear. I prefer Icicle Spear to Icicle Crash because it breaks Ninjask's Substitutes and such.

Zangoose, the king of the hill. Toxic Boost made Zangoose a faster but slightly weaker version of Ursaring, but I'd take that 90 base Speed for a slight drop in power any day. Zangoose is my cleaner and more often than not cleans up entire teams after they have to handle the rest of my team. I try not to send out Zangoose until late in the game, where it can sweep everything. I stuck with four attacks Zangoose because it's too frail to set up Swords Dance ever, and the priority from Quick Attack is really useful sometimes.

Hi everyone, this is one of my LC teams I've been using and tweaking for quite a bit now. It relies on a four Pokemon defensive core of Natu, Chinchou, Mienfoo, and Lileep, which can keep hazards up on the opponent's field, keep my own side of the field hazard free and healthy, and maintain momentum by being able to have a good switch to 95% of the metagame due to all of these Pokemon having a form of reliable recovery. The team then focuses on an offensive spinblocker / catch-all in Scarf Misdreavus and then a defensive set-up sweeper in Dratini. Without further ado, let's take a closer look.

As BW2 Lileep now has Giga Drain alongside everything else, it's really the premier check to Water-types. I needed something for this slot that can handle putting up hazards against Staryu and Drilbur, the most common spinners, so this was a natural choice. The EV spread is something I've toyed with for a while, I don't need the hyper defensive spread that I also happen to really like on this particular team as Lileep needs to be a little better all around, sometimes useful in checking threats as Misdreavus for this team.

This is the Mienfoo I'd like to call pretty much standard, and stops all Scraggy completely in their tracks. Fake Out and Drain Punch are pretty simple, and although Knock Off may seem strange on a defensive team, it synergizes well with Dratini. Essentially, Dratini baits in Steel-types, allowing me to have a free switch to Mienfoo. Then, I also get a free Knock Off on something on their team as they have to switch again or lose their Dratini counter. Overall this is definitely one of the best Pokemon in the metagame, and can even beat Croagunk late game if it needs to and the opponent gets Knocked Off.

This is basically my baby set that I've used forever because I can't use Chinchou any other way. Spreading Scald around is useful on offensive teams, as the metagame is largely physically based. Chinchou is also my primary Murkrow check, but can even go toe to toe with Nasty Plot Misdreavus if it has to. The EVs provide it good all around bulk, focusing slightly more on the special side, which then means I must rely on Scald burns to truly act as that mixed wall. Heal Bell also provide tons of utility in helping Lileep and Mienfoo, who hate Toxic and burn, respectively.

This set is important as BW2 saw an incredibly insurgence of Grass-types. This one answers all of them, such as Shroomish, Foongus, and even Lileep most of the time. Shroomish and Foongus rely on causing status, with the especially common Stun Spore or Spore being two of their favorites. It's funny to reflect it back on them. As long as I don't switch into AncientPower, I will also beat Lileep one on one as I can stall out the AncientPower PP with Roost. Scraggy can't switch-in either, for fear of FeatherDance, and the same goes for Drilbur. This set also leads to a lot of switches which again allows me to spread more Toxic.

This is more of a team tailored set that sometimes works or sometimes doesn't. Shadow Ball is pretty simple, it's a very strong attack and cleans up well late game. Thunderbolt allows me to bait Murkrow and typically kill it because of Misdreavus' natural bulk. Destiny Bond is probably the most fun move ever; most moves don't OHKO Misdreavus, so me getting off a Destiny Bond on something late game when all the priority has been removed is exceptionally common against offensive teams. Against defensive teams, Trick is typically a good option, crippling a wall by locking them into a move and taking their Eviolite.

This is a set I've used a lot and generally liked. It really shines against balanced teams, which admittedly were more common before BW2 and before this set ever existed. Nonetheless, it gets incredible bulk with Rest and Marvel Scale along with the EVs (however, the EVs could probably be better). The rest of the team has no problem removing Ferroseed, Hippopotas, Bronzor, and the rare Pawniard, so this set really gets a chance to shine very often. Unfortunately, it means I often rely on Sleep Talk "hax" (which admittedly isn't really hax; eventually I will get the right amount of DDs and hit Outrage, and likely before I die); but haters be swarmin' wherever I go, this is nothing new.

Choice Specs Politoed isn't always commonly seen in VGC, due to its inability to switch moves, essentially forcing a switch. However, I felt that the damage output was incredibly helpful in taking out many common VGC Pokemon. Surf is Politoed's STAB attack, getting a boost in the rain too. Ice Beam hits Dragons like Latios who can be pretty pesky. Focus Blast is for Abomasnow since his hail can disrupt my team. Hidden Power Grass lets me hit Gastrodon, who will resist and benefit from Politoed's Surfs.

Kingdra works really well with Politoed for many reasons. Auto-rain boosts Kingdra's speed, making it a real threat to the other Dragons in the metagame. It resists Surf, so it can feel free to Surf at will without worrying about doing much damage, and with Absorb Bulb it even gets a Special Attack boost, allowing it to hit even harder and allowing Draco Meteor's drop to be less of an issue. Dragon Pulse loses out on a lot of key OHKOs, so unless I'm finishing something off and don't want to drop my Special Attack, I usually use Draco Meteor. Muddy Water allows me to avoid hitting my partner, while also hitting both my opponent's Pokemon. The accuracy drop can also be helpful. Protect is good for stalling out Tailwind, Trick Room, or avoiding an attack from a threatening Pokemon so Kingdra's ally can take it down.

This is a pretty standard bulky Thundurus. Taunt helps me stop Trick Rooms, Thunder Waves hurt faster Pokemon like Latios and opposing Thundurus. Swagger can hurt Special Attackers, and Thunderbolt allows Thundurus to get some STAB to finish things off and also not be Taunt bait.

Terrakion is severely underused in this metagame, in my opinion. Close Combat can hit common Tyranitar, Heatran, and Metagross for massive damage. Rock Slide hurts the genies and allows for a flinch chance. X-Scissor hits Latios and Psychics for super effective damage. Sacred Sword is used in case I find that a Defense and Special Defense drop is too risky.

Whimsicott is also lacking usage in this metagame, although I can't really understand why. With max Speed it outspeeds Thundurus, Taunting it before it can cause trouble with Thunder Waves. Charm is also helpful for opposing Physical attackers, especially priority hitters like Hitmontop and Scizor that are hurt by a lowered attack. Tailwind is great for boosting speed in case rain gets taken away and Politoed isn't able to set it back up. Giga Drain allows me to do some damage to things like Gastrodon that can be pesky for a rain team.

A Steel Gem Bullet Punch hits a lot harder than people expect, gaining OHKOs it may have missed out on before, or just doing enough to allow your partner to finish off your opponent. Bug Bite hits Latios and other Psychics hard, and Air Slash lets it hit Fighting types and other Bug types too. Protect is to avoid a damaging attack or to stall out a Tailwind or Trick Room.